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Considering that he is left to entertain himself quite a bit now that Baby Sweet Chuck is here, it couldn’t have come at a better time: Seabass has discovered his imagination.

Grandma Lewis first noticed it when Seabass used his fingers to walk like legs into his big fire truck toy. Once she mentioned that, I watched eagerly for any sign of pretend play. Shortly thereafter, he announced to no one in particular that his little excavator was picking up a giant load of dirt to dump on a pile. And he started singing in his crib, in his stroller, wherever. The sound of his singing nearly causes my fragile little mommy heart to burst. I will treasure these sounds forever.

As a child, I was very independent and loved pretend play. I remember sitting in my room for hours with a few dolls and a tea set, making up scenarios for my characters to act out. I had been waiting for this to kick in with Seabass, hoping that his love of playing would be as strong as mine. Because really? What parent doesn’t want to see their child secure and content in such a simple – not to mention FREE – activity?

That’s not to say this milestone hasn’t come with its challenges, of course. An imagination can dream up tractors busy on a construction site, a tea party, or…a nightmare. Seabass has awoken several times at night yelling “Nooo!! Nooo!!” and scared me and Jake half to death. He has also started imagining up little scenes in his bed – no toys necessary – and refusing to fall asleep for his nap. It takes a concerted effort on my part to convince him of the benefits of sleep. I have also bribed him with sugar.

As parents, we anticipate so many milestones in our children’s development, from rolling over to first words to saying words like please and thank you without prompting. But for me, despite a few negatives, this one has by far been the best milestone yet. Take note, mothers of difficult infants! There is light at the end of your fussy one’s little tunnel, and you will cherish it all the more when it arrives.